The health hazards from smoking tobacco are well known. Of the many by-products of combustion found in cigarette smoke, the substances most studied have been tars, carbon monoxide, and nicotine. Tars are the agents linked to the causation of various cancers and pulmonary diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas which reduces the ability of blood hemoglobin to carry sufficient oxygen. Carbon monoxide has also been causally linked to coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis. Nicotine appears to be the most pharmacologically active substance in tobacco smoke, yet it seems not to be as significant from a health standpoint as the tars and carbon monoxide. However, nicotine is the reinforcing substance in tobacco which maintains the addiction.
Various efforts have been made by smokers to discontinue smoking. Chewing beeswax, eating candy and peppermints, as well as cold turkey interruption have been tried without much success. The addition of chemicals designed to sicken the user or otherwise render smoking repulsive to the user have also not produced good results. More recent therapies for smoking cessation have focused on the administration of nicotine to the smoker. These therapies allow the individual to satisfy a nicotine habit while minimizing or eliminating side effects caused by absorbing nicotine through the lungs along with the other harmful by-products of combustion of tobacco.
Nicotine supplementation has proven to be an effective therapy as an adjunct to smoking cessation in helping to reduce the craving for smoking and provide relief from smoking withdrawal symptoms. However, there are many smokers for whom nicotine supplementation alone is inadequate. In accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that a composition can be formulated which provides the combination of nicotine and caffeine or caffeine equivalent in a single therapy. It has also been discovered that such a combination may offer the advantage of providing treatment and/or relief of nicotine craving and/or smoking withdrawal symptoms to a broader spectrum of smokers who wish to break the smoking habit. It has further been discovered that these compositions may also curb the appetite which may aid in reducing the weight gain that is commonly experienced by individuals who stop smoking.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition comprising the combination of nicotine and caffeine or caffeine equivalent in a single therapy. It is also an object of the present invention to deliver the nicotine and caffeine combination therapy in a convenient delivery system. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method for the treatment and/or relief of nicotine craving and/or smoking withdrawal symptoms in individuals who wish to break or decrease the habit of smoking tobacco or the use of any tobacco product. These and other objects will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.